(Philadelphia, PA) - Today is the first day of summer and already this year there have been 16 confirmed child vehicular heatstroke deaths in the United States. Every year on average, 37 children die in hot cars in our country. Last year 43 young children died.

These tragedies are predictable and preventable.

KidsAndCars.org president and founder Janette Fennell said, “We know there are families all across America right now holding their precious babies, unaware that they will lose them in a hot car this summer. But, these children don’t have to die. Parents and caregivers have the power to make sure that this doesn’t happen to them.”

KidsAndCars.org is urging parents to implement the “Look Before You Lock” safety checklist that provides simple tips for parents to protect their child.

Look Before You Lock Safety Checklist

Make sure your child is never left behind in the back seat of a car:

Make it a routine to open the back door of your car every time you park to check that no one has been left behind.

Put something you need in the back seat to remind you to open the back door every time you park – cell phone, employee badge, handbag, work computer, etc. (The idea is if you leave the vehicle without this item, you would have to go back to get it.)

Founded in 1996, KidsAndCars.org is the only national nonprofit child safety organization dedicated solely to preventing injuries and deaths of children in and around vehicles. KidsAndCars.org promotes awareness among parents, caregivers and the general public about the dangers to children, including backover and frontover incidents, underage driving and vehicular heatstroke. The organization works to prevent tragedies through data collection, education and public awareness, policy change and survivor advocacy.